


Lost love

by Adhuber



Series: Falling in love during the Revolution [1]
Category: Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 09:04:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11145258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adhuber/pseuds/Adhuber
Summary: When a childhood friend reappears Caleb has to decide what he will do





	Lost love

Jacqueline Simon was the youngest child of an English/French merchant Jacque Simon and an English lady Beatrice Simon. The couple had married when Beatrice had come to America running away from destitution in London due to her father having drank and gambled all his money and inheritance away. The couple were not perfect and the marriage was simply convenient. Their first daughter Sarah was the light of her mother's eye. Blonde and blue eyed and beautiful. She was charming and the perfect young lady who would surely score a handsome noble in London society. Their second daughter was her mother's nightmare - Jacqueline was born with fiery red hair, freckles and a temper. Her mother swore she was born of the devil and refused to care for the child and left her to the servants to raise. Her father tried to reason with Beatrice but the mother was superstitious and wanted the child gone. When Jacques refused, Beatrice packed up her daughter and left back to London demanding a divorce that her husband had caused her to live in a horrid situation.

As she grew Jacqueline was mindful of her parents disagreement and how many people just assumed that there was something more than a child to cause people to separate. By the time she was a teenager, her father set up shop in Setauket where she started to befriend some of the other young people. Anna was the nicest girl she had ever met and talked to Jack - as they all nicknamed her - as if nothing bad had ever happened. Benjamin was undeniably the handsomest boy she had ever met, while Abraham and Thomas were trying to be perfect yet imperfect children and Caleb who just didn't care what he did or say. Jack liked being with all of them - and they never asked her where her mum was - it may have been presumed that she was dead as that seemed to be what happened to most men without wives but had children.

As they sat at the creek, the boys with pants rolled up searching for crawdads, and Anna and Jack sitting on the bank, Caleb called out to her one day, "So Ginger, (the one name on Caleb called her by) which one of us do ya like the best?"

Caught off guard, she instantly looked to Anna for assistance, but she only saw the dark brown eyes watching her for an answer. "I like you all, is that not all right?"

"Yes," as he kept his eyes on the water, "but if you had to marry one of us, which of us would it be?"

Jack wanted to be shy but she knew that if she didn't give the boy the answer he wanted, he would pester her for the rest of the summer. "Why you of course? I mean isn't it obvious?" as she put a twang to her voice. "In fact why don't you come up here so I can gaze up on?"

The other boys and Anna all began to laugh, and Caleb looked shocked at her answer, but not willing to back down from a challenge, he marched out of the water and up the bank where he towered over the red head. "If I didn't know you were fibbing' I'd steal a kiss from you."

Jack's eyes narrowed, and she watched as his dripping pants were getting her skirts wet. Pulling herself up she looked at Caleb, "you wouldn't dare, after all you don't want to lose your soul to me?"

The others began murmuring - Jack had always implied she was a witch since that was how her mother saw her - so why not let the others believe it as well.

"That's all right, I'm already bewitched by you." He then pulled her close and kissed her on the mouth. 

It was a quick kiss that she wasn't prepared for and it was over before it happened. She would have slapped him but she was to shocked and startled to see her skirts were now wet. "Oh Caleb, you've got my dress wet," she whined, changing the subject would hopefully get the others to forget about him kissing her.

"Oh come on Jack, I'll walk you home," Anna said as she pulled the girl away from the rough boy.

"If you want more, I'll see you under the oak tree tonight," Caleb called out to her.

 

Jack didn't get to spend much longer with her friends as her father had decided it was time to move on when British troops continued to move further and further inland. As war was about to break out, Jack's father decided it was time to move toward French territory and while they camped one night, Jacque disappeared leaving his daughter to fend for herself.

Most eighteen year old girls would fall to the mercy of the first individual who would help them, but not Jack. She had learned to hunt and scout with the Indian's that her father traded with. As she moved back north in hopes of reconnecting with friends that she could trust, she often hid among the tree and brush hiding from both the rebels and British soldiers. 

Covering her hair in dirt most days to help disguise her, she kept it in tight braids around her crown and often pulled a thick wool hat down to disguise her from individuals from realizing she was a girl. She had given up on wearing proper ladies attire and instead wore the coarse wool material of men's britches and suspenders to hold them up. She had lost all decorum and focused only on survival. As she came into range of more individuals she began to realize that it was as if she was a ghost whom nobody could see or hear. Slipping into shops and stealing paper, quill and ink along with flour and eggs came easy for her. 

It wasn't until she was arranging her latest camp - she had found a cave near the river she used to play at, and was cooking up a rabbit she had caught - when while she went to get water, she thought she heard something, but letting it pass until arms wrapped around her and knocked her down. Fighting with the individual that assaulted her, she twisted in his arms until she was about to pull her pistol, he having pulled his knife, when the moon finally came out and she recognized the face and eyes of her attacker.

"Bloody hell Caleb, get off me," she told him as she shoved at him.

"A girl, what's a girl doing out here?"

Jack realized he didn't recognize her, then again most wouldn't she had lost weight and was quite thin for her age, but then abandonment could do that. "Bugger Caleb it's me Jack?"

The man continued to hold her down trying to look at her, he still seemed to want to argue.

"Oh bother," as she twisted and flipped him on his back and she straddled on top of him, "you don't remember the girl who said she'd marry you?"

"How do I know you're not a spy?"

Jack continued to sit on him, and finally leaned down to peck his lips, "you were always the boy I liked the best."

As it dawned on Caleb that this was in fact the girl he had admired and dreamed about for years, he pushed himself up but kept her still on his lap. "Ginger, what happened to your hair, in fact what happened to you?"

Moving to stand she continued to hold his hand and helped him stand as well, "come on, I'll tell you everything," as she led him back to her camp.

~

After the two ate the rabbit and potatoes that Jack had made, she filled him in on her journey and how her father had up and left. She didn't ask for sympathy from him, just explained she'd been slowly moving around and she had almost begun to think she was a ghost until he came along. She only released his hand when they ate, but she constantly returned to it as if it was a lifeline. 

"You can come with me back to camp. You shouldn't be out here by yourself," he told her and as he watched her, his hand went to her face and brushed away a stray hair.

Helping her pack up her few belongings - pans and dishes, and weapons, he helped her to his boat, and as he placed her items in the boat her returned to shore and swooped her into his arms and carried her to the boat.

"Caleb Brewster, I didn't realize what manners you had."

"For you, I'd do anything," as he picked up the ores and began rowing. 

On the other side, Caleb pulled the small boat up and he and Jack covered it with branches to disguise it. Then he got his horse and helped her up on it before climbing on behind her. With a slow trot, Jack was soon lulled to sleep having Caleb's arms protectively wrapped around her. 

When they stopped they had arrived at a rebel camp and there were several soldiers dressed in blue surrounding them. 

"Be careful with the lady, she's been through quite a bit," as he helped her slide down. He soon dismounted and was by her side and leading her to a tent. "I'll see if I can find you a tent for privacy," he began.

"No, I'll stay with you," she answered quickly. It was all too much, too many people, too much noise. 

Looking around, "Jack, as much as I like you, and I do like you, it wouldn't be proper"

"Proper, I've been on my own for almost 10 years, I don't know how to be around people."

"Okay, well um, we'll figure something out," looking around, "why don't you set your stuff down, and I'll be right back."

Caleb disappeared and Jack looked around, it was a simple tent, a cot a small writing desk, and a few personal effects. As she set herself down she thought of lying down when two men came in with a large tub. 

"The Lieutenant told us to bring you a bath," they told her. Soon hot water was brought in along with towels. 

Jack looked around and began undressing. It had been so long since she had bathed properly that she wasn't sure what she should do. As her foot stepped into the water she began to relax and soon she was in the water scrubbing her skin red. Just as she was coming up having washed her hair, Caleb walked in. He seemed embarrassed to see her until he saw her hair dripping like a waterfall. Not sure why, he was suddenly kneeling down and squeezing the water out of the long hair.

"You always had the most beautiful hair," he told her. His hand continued to linger as his fingers suddenly decided to swipe at the water dripping down her back. 

Jack made an involuntary moan as his hands began to massage her back. Turning slightly she was able to wrap her arms around him and quickly found his mouth. 

In one swift movement, Caleb had lifted her out of the water and was lying her on the small cot and covering her body with his as he continued to kiss her. The small moans she made would drive him crazy as his lips left her mouth to trace down her neck, shoulders and to her breasts. He would swear later he was not of proper mind as he wanted nothing more than to make love to the young girl who had stolen his heart years before. 

How could any person abandon her, she was beautiful and brave and as he was unfastening his pants and he felt her leg around his hip the sway of the tent cloth and a clearing of a voice interrupted them.

Turning slightly he saw who had entered, and quickly jumped up and tossed a towel over the woman for modest sake. "Bloody hell Ben, you couldn't have given me a warning?"

The tall handsome man stood watching as his best friend was obviously beside himself trying to defend his actions. "I didn't think it would take this long for her to get dressed," he responded.

Realizing he was in the wrong, Caleb changed tactics, "um Ben you remember Ginger, I mean Jack," squeezing his eyes to remember, "Jacqueline Simon?"

The red head had already pulled a shirt over her head that was too big and slipped her britches on. "I'm sorry to be of a burden, it's just that I was so surprised to see Caleb last night, and"

"Where is your father?"

The girl winced at the tone, "he left some ten years ago. I've been on my own ever since." She quickly started to comb her fingers through her hair and began braiding it into one long braid. 

"Will you excuse us Miss Simon?"

Caleb turned to look back at her and at her swollen lips and sad eyes, going to her he pulled her close, "I won't let anything happen to you," as he kissed her again.

~  
Outside, Ben turned to his friend expecting an answer. "What the hell Caleb, you bring a woman into our camp and decide to have a little recreation time with her?"

"No, no of course not," as he stuttered at the thought he'd done anything improper. "She's been in the woods all over the colonies. She knows more about how both sides are fighting. You think things are going fine with the Culper ring, well, she can tell us the secrets of their battles."

"So you thought you'd seduce her?"

"No, you know I always had a thing for her. When he pa up and took off with her, I was heartbroken. I was in love with her."

Ben looked at the other man in shock, "you were in love with her. Really, and so what are you now?"

"I don't know, I wasn't thinking. She was in the tub, and her hair was wet, and then she turned and kissed me and then we were on the cot and"

Shaking his head, "I don't need the details, if she agrees to help us you can keep her, otherwise"

"I won't lose her again," Caleb argued.

"Then get her to work for us."

"So, if things get a little friendly?"

"Just be careful, unless you plan to get married before this war is over."


End file.
